Printing roll support and pressure mechanism



' Dec. 9, 1941. s. B. STAFFORD ETAL 2,265,457

' PRINTING ROLL SUPPORT AND PRESSURE MECHANISM Filed Sept. 1:5, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 v r Jnventors I Sfep/ven B.S7c1ffo rc/ HermonASrn/fh Bu, wflness Y Qa:\ dttorneg Herberffi. Coveg Patented Dec. 9, 1941 PRINTING ROLL SUPPORT AND PRESSURE MECHANISM Stephen B. Stafford, Oxford, and Herman A. Smith, Holden, Mass, assignors to Rice Barton Corporation, a corporation of Massachusetts Application September 13, 1939, Serial No. 294,594

3 Claims.

This invention relates to printing machinery and more particularly to theprinting roll support and pressure mechanism arranged to hold the roll under adjustable pressure against a backing cylinder.

A textile printing machine used for printing one or,several colors on a fabric usually comprises a printing roll and preferably a series thereof so arranged relative to one or more backing cylinders that the fabric may be printed as it passes therebetween, together with an endless blanket and a backgray cloth. The printing roll comprises a heavy steel mandrel on which is removably mounted a hollow copper intaglio roll. A satisfactory printing operation requires that this printing roll be held against the fabric and its backing cylinder under a very high pressure and that the roll be in proper alignment with the backing cylinder and the fabric to be printed.

It has been customary heretofore to mount each end of the printing roll in a half bearing carried by a slide block, which is in turn slidably mounted between two slide ways suitably supported on the machine frame. When these slide ways and block have become worn, there has been no feasible way heretofore whereby adjustment could be made to compensate for the wear; and this has necessitated rebuilding the machine by replacement of the side frames and the bearing blocks and so has involved an expensive and time wasting operation. Moreover, the pressure mechanism for transmitting the necessary force to hold the printing roll against the backing cylinder has comprised a resilient body so mounted in the framework that its removal and replacement has required dismantling a considerable portion of the machine parts related to the printing roll.

One object of the present invention is to overcome such difficulties and to provide a mount for the printing roll which insures that the roll may be adjusted readily into proper location for printing and that compensation for Wear of the parts may be readily made.

A further object is to provide a mechanism whereby the printing roll may be held in position under a required pressure by means of an elastic body and wherein that body may be easily and. quickly replaced when desired. Further objects will be apparent in the following disclosure. r

In accordance with this invention, we mount each end of the printing roll on a slide block and preferably by means of a half bearing; and this slide block is in turn mounted on a single slide way and not between two parallel slide ways So screw is transmitted through an elastic body which is mounted on the slide block, and the latter is so constructed that the elastic body may be easily removed and replaced.

Referring to the drawings which illustrate the preferred embodiment of our printing machine construction Fig. 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, of those parts of the textile printing machine which pertain to the present invention;

Fig. 2 is an end elevation taken on the section line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary detail of the printing roll mount and the pressure mechanism;

Fig. 4 is a section on the line 44 of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary detail showing a modified slide block.

A textile printing machine of the type illustrated in the drawings comprises one or more printing rolls H), which are so mounted relative to a backing cylinder l2 that fabric I4, together with a backgray cloth I5 and an endless blanket l6, may be passed between the rolls and the cylinder for a printing operation. The printing rolls l0 receive ink froma transfer roller l8 (Fig. 1) suitably mounted within an ink reservoir l9 and adapted to be positively rotated by suitable gearing driven by the printing roll. Various mechanisms well known in the industry may be employed in this printing machine, and only those parts pertaining to the present invention will be described in detail. It, however, may be observed that the backing cylinder I2 is mounted on an arbor 22 which is freely rotatable in bearings on the slide blocks 23 and 24, which are adjustably mounted within the side frame members 25 and 25 of the printing machine frame. Suitable adjusting screws 21 and 28 serve to hold the cylinder bearing blocks in position against thethrust of the printing roll. The printing roll may comprise a hollow copper intaglio cylinder removably mounted on and keyed to a massive steel mandrel 3!), and the latter is positively rotated by the gears 33 and 34 suitably mounted and driven by power mechanism. The backing cylinder is rotated only by the frictional force applied through the printing roll.-

The present invention relates to the mounting and adjustments of the printing roll. Each of the side frames 25 and 26 has outwardly extending arms 36 (Fig. 2) provided with end flanges 31 arranged to carry the adjustable pressure screws 33 in threaded bushings 39 suitably secured therein. The base portion of each of the arms 36 is shaped to form a slide way which, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, provide a flat surface 40 on which slides the block 62 which carries the bearing supports for the printing roll. The slide to engage depending flanges 46 on the slide block 7 42. Removable lock plates 41 held in place on the flanges 46 by set screws project inwardly so as to interlock with the projecting side flanges 44 of the arm 36 and thus hold the parts assembled.

It will be seen that when the interfitting parts of the slide 42 and the slide way '40 on the arm 36 become worn, it is merely necessary to remove the slide block 42 and plane off the projecting ends of the fianges'46 to the required extent and then reset the locking plates 4-! in place. Consequently, the slide 42 may be always held properly positioned on the slide way 36 and with the interlocking plates 41 making a proper lit with the under sides of the T-head of the arm 36.

Thus one primary feature of the invention is readily accomplished.

In order to apply pressure through the screw 38 to the slide block 42 we provide the construction shown particularly in Figs. 3 and 4. This comprises two hard rubber disks 50 separated by a steel plate 52 and bearing at the righthand end 53 against an inner surface of a recess within the slide block. A steel disk "54 receives the thrust of the righthand end of the screw 38. A collar 56 pinned on the screw 33 serves to draw the printing roll away from the backing cylinder. By means of a suitable bar inserted into a hole through the head 58 of the screw, the latter may be turned to move the slide block forward, and

the thrust of the screw is transmitted to the slide block through the intermediate resilient or elastic hard rubber disks 50.

To permit ready replacement of those rubber disks, the slide block 42 is made of two separate parts 60 and 62 shaped to interfit along the lines 64, and they are held together by suitable removable cap screws 66. These two slide members'are so shaped as to provide the hollow space and communicating hole for receiving the elastic members and the end of the screw 33. 'It'will now be appreciated that in order to replace the rubber buffers, it is merely necessary to take out the cap screws 66 and remove one side of the slide block 42 and thus expose the rubber disk and other parts associated therewith.

The mandrel 30 of the printing roll It has res duced bearing surfaces which are rotatably mounted in the half bearing blocks 12, and the latter are so shaped as to provide sufficient support therefor when the printing roll is not pressed forward against the backing cylinder. This half bearing block is provided with a dovetailed portion M interfitting with a'slide way carried on a second slide member 16, and the parts are .so arranged that by means of the screw 'l'l the bearing may be moved parallel with the axis of the mandrel. The slide block 16 and the two part slide block 42 are likewise provided with interfitting dovetailed portions Bil and 82. An adjusting screw 86 is threaded into the slide block 16 and rotatably secured in position on the block tzby means of a collar 81 on the screw engaging the walls of a shallow recess in the block 42', so that the bearing supports may be moved radially of the mandrel and at right angles to the direction of movement caused by the screw 11. The latter may be mounted and arranged the same as is the screw 86.

It will be appreciated that various modified constructions may be made to embody the above described features. For example, as shown in Fig. 5, the rubberdisks 59 and 52 may be inserted within a recess 99 formed withinthe slide block 92. In that case, the slide block does not need to be made of the two halves shown in Fig. 4, but may be cast as a single piece with the recess 90 formed therein. The slide block may be moved .rearwardly by having the collar 56 of the screw '38 engage the inner face of a plate 94 removably secured to the block by cap screws 96. The plate is provided with a hole of suflicient size for the end of the screw 38 to pass therethrough, as illustrated. This construction may, however, be considered as a multi-part bearing block within the scope of the claims.

Various other modifications of the device may be made and equivalent constructions substituted for those illustrated. Hence, the above description is to be considered asdefining the pn'ncp'les and the preferred embodiments of the invention and not as limitations thereon, except as defined in the appended claims.

We claim:

1. A printing machine comprising opposed side frames, a backing cylinder rotatably mounted thereon, a printing roll associated therewith for a printing operation, two multipart bearing blocks having recesses between the parts, an elastic body removably mounted in each mounted thereon, a printing roll associated with said cylinder for a printing operation, a laterally extending arm' on each frame :having'a single upwardly facing slideway, a bearing block mounted solely on the top of each slideway, a slide mounted on a cooperating slideway on each block, a second slide mounted on a cooperating slideway on each of the first mentioned slides,

each of said second slides having an open bear-g,

ing removably carrying'an end of the roll, and the slides being arranged for adjusting the roll both axially and substantially tangentially to the cylinder, an elastic body on each block and an adjustable pressure-screw threaded through each arm and engaging the elastic body on the associated block for pressing the roll against "the cylinder.

3. A printed machine comprising opposed frames, a backing cylinder rotatably mounted thereon, a printing roll associated therewith for a printing operation, each frame having .a single slide surface mounted on the associated slideway, a bearing block slidably mounted solely on each slide surface which has a recess in one end and a perforated wall enclosing the recess, two slides carriedon each block for carrying an end of the printing roll and "adjusting the roll later-- ally and axially, an elastic body removably mounted in the recess of each blockand a screw threaded on said arm which passes through the perforated wall and is arranged to engage said wall and the elastic body whereby each end of the printing roll may be forced under resilient pressure against the backing cylinder or be moved positively away from thesame.

STEPHEN B. STAFFORD. HERMAN A. SMITH. 

